[wine] Italy at T-de-Vinci

Greetings, Hears from Bob, Betsy, Bill and Annette S. All yes for Tratoria de Vincie. Italy from Tuscany south. Have fun. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 12:00:54 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Tomato time! From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * WINEBUYS.COM Top New Arrivals - Up to 55% off! http://www.winebuys.com/page/buy-wine/ctgy/new-wines%26qts=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * NO FRIDAY EDITION The Wine Advisor takes a one-day break. * TOMATO TIME! 'tis the season for summer's favorite bounty ... but what wine goes best with a fresh, ripe tomato? * FATTORIA DI PANCOLE 2004 CHIANTI COLLI SENESI ($12.99) Black cherries and spice, just about a perfect model of fresh, straightforward Chianti. * WINEBUYS.COM Top New Arrivals - Up to 55% off! * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ NO FRIDAY EDITION We're taking a long weekend to visit family in Florida, so the Wine Advisor takes a day off on Friday. We'll be back Monday. ________________________________________________________________________ TOMATO TIME! Here's a question to ponder on a steamy summer morning: Is a tomato a vegetable, or is it a fruit? Contrary to what seems obvious to most of us, pedants insist that the tomato is a fruit because, botanically speaking, it develops from the ovary at the base of its flower and contains the seeds of the plant. "Vegetables" are other edible parts of plants such as leaves, stalks or tubers ... or so the botanists say. But cooks - and most everybody else - know that the tomato is a vegetable because, well, we eat it in salads and savory dishes, not ... usually ... for dessert. Most of us, actually, don't worry much about this definition. We simply enjoy the luscious tomato, and never more than at this time of year, the peak of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when just about everybody can get their hands on a ripe, juicy and tart-sweet specimen at the peak of seasonal perfection. Picked straight from the plant, still warm from the garden, it's hard to beat a fresh tomato au naturel, maybe with just a sprinkle of salt to perfect it. When you're eating a tomato out of hand like an apple, there's not much call for a glass of wine. But bring it to the dinner table, and the obvious question arises: When the tomato is the star of the bill of fare, or at least a strong supporting player, what's the best wine to serve? At the risk of sounding like a clich�, it's hard to beat Chianti (and other Sangiovese-based wines) for cooked tomato dishes, not excepting the classic spaghetti and meatballs or pepperoni pizza. Chianti, after all, became the default choice with these Italian-style dishes for a reason: Its combination of relatively subtle fruit flavors with crisp, snappy acidity makes a natural partner with the similar flavor profile of fresh tomatoes. I told you it was a fruit! Although the Chianti rule of thumb relates to tomato-based sauces, long- simmered and sweet, I find that the same principles apply with fresh tomato dishes as well, and none better than caprese, the summery Italian salad of thick-sliced fresh tomatoes, fresh leaves of basil and rounds of fresh mozzarella. This works particularly well, in my opinion, because the fresh herb scents of the basil pick up similar characteristics in the Chianti, and the creamy mozzarella rounds out the dish in wine-friendly fashion. Indeed, fresh tomatoes and simple Chianti are natural pals in almost any combination. Alternatively, although the grapes are completely different, a similar equation works with the warm Provencal flavors of Cotes-du-Rhone reds (like the fine example featured as today's Winebuys.com offer, below) and other Grenache, Syrah or Mourvedre wines and blends from the Southern Rhone and Provence. For today, though, I'm sticking with Italy, and better still, in honor of a Tuscan wine-judging trip I'll be taking to Siena in October, a fine young Chianti Colli Senesi ("Chianti from the Siena hills"). Enjoy it with caprese or enjoy it with red-sauced spaghetti; it's a fine introduction to the loving affinity between these wines and this fruit. Or vegetable. ________________________________________________________________________ FATTORIA DI PANCOLE 2004 CHIANTI COLLI SENESI ($12.99) Clear, very dark garnet. Black cherries and subtle spice on the nose, juicy fruit and snappy acidity in the flavor; fresh-fruit acidity and soft tannins in a long finish. Just about a perfect model of fresh, straightforward Chianti. U.S. importer: Five Star Fine Imports Ltd., Plainview, N.Y. (July 25, 2006) FOOD MATCH: Characteristic Chianti, made for red meat; its fresh acidity and fruit makes it a natural with snappy, tomato-based pasta dishes or, as noted, a caprese salad or just about anything made with fresh summer tomatoes and basil. VALUE: Reasonably priced by current standards, but shop carefully, as it's available in some regions for $10 or so. WHEN TO DRINK: It's made for immediate enjoyment, but won't fade appreciably for a year or two on the wine rack. PRONUNCIATION: Chianti Colli Senesi = "Kee-AHN-tee Coh-lee Seh-nay-zee" WEB LINK: The Fattoria di Pancole Website offers a choice of Italian or English, with some pages also in German. It provides brief information about the company's wines, grappa, olive oil and accommodations at the winery. http://www.fattoriadipancole.it FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Look up prices and locate sources for Fattoria di Pancole Chianti on Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Pancole%2bChianti/-/-/USD/A?referring_sit… ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE: To read and comment on today's column in our non-commercial WineLovers Discussion Group, you can click directly to it at http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=2712 We're also featuring the tomato - discussing recipes, wine matches, gardening and lore - as Ingredient of the Month in our FoodLovers Discussion Group. To participate in these discussions, visit http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?t=2572 Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. http://community.netscape.com/winelovers?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=4685 To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print060809.html ________________________________________________________________________ WINEBUYS.COM: TOP NEW ARRIVALS - UP TO 55% OFF! Save 27%! PATRICK LESEC 2003 COTES DU RHONE BOUQUET After spending 10 years in California working with wines and running restaurants, Patrick Lesec became frustrated over the wines from his French homeland. He felt too many wines were over-produced - stripped of any varietal character. So he returned to France; not to make California wines in France, but to tap into the true potential of the French terroir. He owns no vineyards, but he has developed wonderful relationships with many growers who follow his strict grape growing methods. The 2003 Bouquet is an excellent example of his considerable talents. If you're seeking a delicious Rhone for a reasonable price, look no further. The 2003 is a tasty blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah loaded with sweet currant fruit and minerals. It's juicy, deep, dark and saturated with plenty of bright fruit and ripe, smooth tannins. The 2003 is elegant, precise and a whole lotta fun with grilled duck breast or pork tenderloin. Retail $15 Winebuys Price $10.99 http://www.winebuys.com/page/buy-wine/prod/new-wines/RW-LESECR-03 BROWSE NEW ARRIVALS http://www.winebuys.com/page/buy-wine/ctgy/new-wines%26qts=winelovers SHOP ALL WINES http://www.winebuys.com?qts=winelovers * Everyday $9.95 FedEx flat rate - any size order * All wines always up to 50% off - and more! * 100% Love-It-Or-Your-Money-Back-Guarantee ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Wednesday, August 9, 2006 Copyright 2006 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *